By a Lake Forest Love Writer The Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago is transforming a red brick Georgian-style Lake Forest home designed in the late 1960s by architect William Frazier for the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens. Featured in the redesign are a 16-room main house, a seven-room coach house and a gentleman’s outbuilding with vaulted ceilings. The home is adjacent to one of Lake Forest Open Lands’ largest and oldest nature preserves and situated on more than nine acres with elevated vistas ideal for taking in the surrounding native savanna and prairie.
Designers gather at the Lake Forest estate. About three dozen leading landscape and interior designers have reimagined the estate, which will open for viewing on May 6 and remain open daily through June 4. Nationally-known designers Ashley Whittaker and Timothy Whealon are serving as the honorary chairs of the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens and will participate in a lecture and luncheon to take place at the showhouse on May 8. Emma Bazilian, author of Schumacher’s new book Charm School, will serve as moderator and sign books.
Typically a biennial production, the Lake Forest Showhouse’s last show home opened in July 2020. Returning interior design firms in this year’s showhouse include Kelly Hurliman Design, Sarah Vaile Design, Alexandra Kaehler Design, Elizabeth Krueger Design, Joey Leicht Design, Cynthia McCullough Interiors, Centered by Design, Relativity Textiles, Lori Lennon & Associates, Soledad Zitzewitz Interiors, ABLAZE Design Group, Nora C. Marra Interiors, Michele Frigon Design, James Thomas Interiors, Ilene Chase Design and Randy Heller Design. Design firms new to this year’s showhouse include House Beautiful’s 2023 Next Wave designer Evan Millard of Millard LLC, Jenny Brown Designs, Emily Sturgess Design, Studio @ Westmoreland Farm, Sally Brown Interiors, Patina Collection, Vincere, Ltd., Katy Evans Design, Elizabeth Stamos Design, Joyful Designs Studio, Anne Coyle Interiors, Maggie Getz Studio, Horn Danly Design, Interior Design Partnership, Meg Caswell Collection, Lauren Collander Interiors and Stone Textile Studio. Landscape design firms include Chalet Landscape, Gardens in Progress, Architectural Gardens, Rosborough Partners, Inc., Don Fiore, North Shore Turf Industries, Jackson Landscaping and Gemini Designs. All space assignments can be viewed HERE.
The Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens will be open to visitors seven days-a-week from May 6 through June 4: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tickets to experience the estate either in morning or afternoon time slots are available and many of the decorative items, art and furnishings in the rooms are for sale. Show tickets as well as opening night preview party (May 5) and lecture and luncheon tickets (May 8) can be purchased online at www.lakeforestshowhouse.com. Proceeds from sponsorships, ticket and designer sales, and the volunteer-run boutique, benefit the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, a non-profit celebrating more than 110 years of providing healthcare to Chicagoland's medically underserved.